You Are Always On My Mind...

You should know that I do indeed think about you all the damn time.  My inability to carve out the theoretical few minutes (actual 2 hours days) to come and update has nothing to do with my lack of interest in updating.  Just laziness.

This summer has been epically lazy, and I'm not even going to pretend otherwise.  It's been delightful.  The girls have spent hours upon hours shut in a bedroom playing Calico Critters (door shut because Kid doesn't want anyone to know she is actually playing, too... but word is out... she totally is).  I haven't gotten anything done, have cooked as little as possible, haven't organized a damn thing.

I read a few books.  Have been keeping my hair short.  And started the DailyBurn (whoa... do it!!!!!! deserves its own review post).

We went to Mackinac Island (loved it).  Mr F's mom came to visit (great). We packed Kid off to camp & Baby to day camp (so-so).  We bought an RV (which turns out to be an investment in the FUTURE of our summer vacations and not so much for this year... boo... still waiting at the body shop for welding).  The kids and I went Up North to the cottage for the annual parade and to hang with family (and first time cherry picking).  Matt went to visit his mom (brought me home an original NordicTrack... what was I thinking?... It is pretty much a leg breaking machine, there are no safety features on that thing at all). We took our hobbled RV on an overnight trip close to home (everything works on the inside at least!). Baby got glasses! My niece came to visit (yay!) and we went back Up North to visit with more family and enjoy a stop at our favorite lunch spot.

And now we have 18 days of summer vacation left!

I intend to continue to avoid cooking & cleaning at all costs (there will be time for that soon enough), doing my DailyBurn (worth it, peeps), and plotting out future RV trips (will they ever happen??!).  I will also fight the urge to make more of this summer than what we are... because... maybe we are totally nailing it.  You know when people count down their kids' summers left at home?... let's never do that (whoever thought of that is a horrible masochistic person).  Let's just take a load off when the opportunity comes and be grateful for it.  You know?  Not need to "take advantage" of everything, max out summer break, use up all of our "spare" time,  etc... just actually relax.  Because, as I always say, it will take just as long to clean up tomorrow as it will today (or next month).  So why do it?

xoxo, Mrs F

Summer Photo Recap:


Kid has grown into herself and has developed a natural elegance with her style and super long limbs.

Baby?  um... yeah... she looks like she just finished a serious Prancercise workout, am I right?!

Baby's new glasses:

Just kidding!

These!

Cherry Picking:

With hands

And mouths

Annual Anchor Day Parade in Empire Michigan:

Shriners in gocarts.  

Also a septic company that tosses out toilet paper rolls (coveted!!)

 First camping trip:
 
                    
Those captains chairs convert to a bed as does the dinette they are on.
You can see the kitchen on the left, and the bathroom & closet are on the right.

Don't mind Kid's glamourous eye makeup... she had just received a stunning makeover courtesy of Baby.

Here they are trying out their converted front bed.  Um... that looks comfortable, right???!

 

 Kid loves the camping lifestyle!!  To make matters worse, she forgot her book. Good thing for her we really aren't camping people, we are road trip people... the camper is a means to get places (eventually).

  
Them there are Fudge Stripe S'mores.
We are never ever ever going back to graham crackers and Hershey bars.  EVER.

Enjoy your summer, peeps!
 
 

 As I say to Mr F, every single day (albeit often sarcastically), 

"Enjoy your lifestyle!"...

 

 because you really can always clean in the Fall (if you must).

 TTFN!

Photo Recap...

Wow, I don't know why I can't blog anymore... but... clearly I can't.

So, the last month and a half has been full on CRAZY TOWN.

It started with Kid's Science Camp...

(did I mention that?  Me, the only female chaperone for 12 girls??  Yet, 5 men for 8 boys??  WTH?  Anyway, I did it.  Outside of the sleep deprivation I thrived.  Seriously, I was like... "I should be a professional camp counselor... this is my calling!", but don't tell anyone... I'm still trying to milk the situation for sympathy from the other parents at school.)

 (Fire building)

 (Lean-to making)

(archery)

(high ropes course)

(ziplining)

The trip was great.... and... because of that, we've decided to keep her in this school for middle school.

Then it was like...

Mother's Day:

 (breakfast in bed)

 (Baby made me these little tarts)

 (and she was pleased)

 (they didn't get me another statuette from Hallmark!!!  Rejoice!)

Mr F's Birthday:

 (46!!!!!!)

Our Trip to Holland, MI:

 (what can I say??  Yes, this place exists.)

Baby's Spring Concert:

(back row, bangs, next to white bonnet)

Kid's Spring Concert:

(front row: she plays the flute in the Beginning Band)

(choir: back row last on left)

Our Trip to Chicago:

 (Baby's on a mission)

(after the harshest winter on record, we finally got her out here to spend her birthday gift cards!)

 (Um, please look to their right... )

(Chicago is such a beautiful city)

 (The Container Store!!  Cue angles singing)

(right after this picture, I told her he was still alive.... hahaha... that was awesome)

(Sue the T Rex @ The Field Museum)

Baby's Field Day:

 (wheelbarrowing... fyi, she HATED it)

(Mr F helping for a tug-of-war win)

Kid's Field Day: (oh, that's right, I didn't go... I can't be everywhere at once!)

Kid's Award Ceremony:

(competitive reading for the WIN!  She took 2nd place, behind an 8th grader.)

Ice Cream Social: (uh... I might have forgotten to document this...)

Kid's Last Day of School:

(If only she had friends and could function in society...)

(as you can see they are keeping their feelings for each other a secret...)

My Birthday:

Baby's Dance Rehearsal:

Baby's Dance Recital:

 (The only person she really wanted there was my step brother's girlfriend... she came!)

(Put a ring on it, Jason!!)

Baby's Last Day of School:

 (It took the whole year for her to work up the courage to climb up this structure!)

(Baby and her teacher... P.S. it was a dress up reward day)

Our Trip to Mackinac Island:

 (Ferry trip over)

 (Baby getting our trip off on the right foot by being strangely uncooperative...)

 (I'd like to report that we received a room discount for this view... alas... that is not the case)

 (I guess I'd live there...)

 (Hiking with Kid)

 (Baby peeking in the ballroom)

 (Sleeping beauties... at least the inside of our room was just as fancy as we had promised)

 (Lilac Festival Parade)

 (the parade continues)

(Best part of the trip was the evening kid's club, which allowed us two built in date nights!)

And now Summer Vacation has officially begun!